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• Certainty in the choice and combination of lifting points and lifting means
• Find hints and tricks, product knowledge and instructions
• Avoid incorrect uses
• Support in visual inspections
• Direct line to RUD, instantly via the app
• NFC technology for quick product identification

RUD, the leading German provider of lifting and lashing technology presents the innovative “BUDDYtron” app. It is a practical digital lifting guide that combines knowledge and technology to support users in a wide range of sectors and industries where lifting heavy loads is an integral part of everyday life; whenever and wherever. The app can therefore be used to retrieve product information and documents as well as hints for visual inspections and repairs, as just some examples. And the app can also assist in the correct use of lifting means. According to the company from Aalen, the objective is to give the user more safety in every aspect of lifting loads, to increase the efficiency of lifting processes and to avoid the occurrence of serious errors.

Digital guide for lifting specialists

Lots of users recognise these kinds of situations: A valuable and/or complex load needs to be lifted and you want to be sure that the lifting means matches perfectly. Questions crop up such as: Is the suspension configured properly? Does the lifting point match the specific load? What do we have to pay attention when checking the lifting means? Another situation: The user needs a certain document for the product at short notice but is not sure where to get it.

Jürgen Grubmüller, Head of Marketing at RUD, says: “We often hear from users that it would be good to have knowledge and advice from the manufacturer available quickly and where it is needed. That’s exactly why we developed ‘BUDDYtron’. The app is intended to make the everyday lifting needs of our customers safer and more efficient”. With “BUDDYtron”, RUD provides professionals from a wide range of industries with a digital tool that offers fast, simple and professional support in almost any lifting situation. “Within seconds, the user is assured of the optimal use of lifting means and lifting points, has more certainty about the condition of the components, and can call up expert knowledge about safe lifting of the load in question via the app – as a drawing, text or video,” adds Jürgen Grubmüller.

More safety in every aspect of lifting

The app is aimed at direct users of lifting means such as riggers and tool managers, but also at safety managers, planners and quality officers. To sum up: Everyone working in large and small companies who perform or prepare lifting tasks.

Intelligent use of NFC technology

One stand-out feature of “BUDDYtron” is the integration of NFC technology as the transmission method. This allows users to scan and identify RUD products via smartphone using the built in RFID transponders. Then technical data such as WLL, operating instructions and other information about the specific product can be called up, but also lifting means and lifting point checks can be carried out. RFID transponders have been standard features of a large proportion of RUD products since 2014, in order to make the mandatory product inspections and the necessary documentation easier and more efficient for customers as part of the RUD BLUE-ID SYSTEM. Another use for the blue RFID transponder has been added with the functions of the new app.

Lifting points and lifting means check

With the “BUDDYtron” lifting point check, in just a few steps you can check whether a lifting point is the right choice for the current lifting task. To do this, the user enters key details such as the weight of the load and other relevant load parameters after identifying a RUD lifting point, for example by using NFC transmission technology, a simple product search or entering the part number. The app uses the entries to check whether the selected lifting point is suitable for lifting the load and gives clear feedback in just a few seconds. The app’s lifting means check works in a similar way, allowing the selected lifting means configuration to be checked for its suitability for the respective application in a matter of seconds, taking the useful length and number of ropes, among others, as a basis.

Practical hints, tricks and direct support

For situations in which special advice is required, “BUDDYtron” offers a wealth of hints and tricks, including illustrated instructions and videos on assembly, use and disassembly. For more specific concerns, the app also provides a way to contact RUD expert advisers for individual support.

Access to technical data and instructions

 “BUDDYtron” offers a comprehensive database for all RUD products, which provides the user with detailed product information. This makes it much easier to select the appropriate lifting means for the lifting task in question, which contributes to increased efficiency and greater safety.

Visual inspection: Send photos to RUD directly from the app

“BUDDYtron” also provides valuable support when carrying out visual inspections, for example before using the lifting means. The special feature: In case of uncertainty, users can send photos to RUD at any time for a professional assessment in a simple and straightforward way from the app.

The lifting hero who is always on hand.

RUD created a superhero with the same name especially for “BUDDYtron” to give the app a face. The idea behind it is that the superhero is always there where help or knowledge is needed, can anticipate dangers and challenges and therefore be ahead of the game. In short, “BUDDYtron” is always there when it matters and always where the user is.

“With ‘BUDDYtron’, we are making exclusive expertise available to our customers on a mobile basis as part of our digitalisation campaign. This allows us to create an added value that is unmatched elsewhere on the market for our customers and everyone who has to deal with lifting tasks in their daily work,” Jürgen Grubmüller explains further. More app functions are planned for the future to make “BUDDYtron” even more versatile and useful. The app, which RUD also wants to use to further strengthen customer loyalty, will be available for download free of charge for iOS and Android in the respective stores from October, in German and English, and is compatible with NFC-enabled devices.

Further information on the functions and release of the app is also available at www.buddytron.app.